Alsace-Lorraine

Alsace-Lorraine was a border region transferred from France to the German Empire in 1871 and returned to France after World War I. Its changing sovereignty made it a focal point of Franco-German rivalry.

Franco-Prussian War: The 1870–1871 war in which Prussia and its German allies defeated France. France’s defeat led to the cession of Alsace and part of Lorraine.
Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen: The territory of Alsace-Lorraine governed directly by the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. This was the formal administrative entity created by annexation.
Otto von Bismarck: The Prussian statesman who unified Germany and served as its first chancellor. He led the German government that secured the territorial annexation.
Revanchism: A political movement seeking revenge or recovery of territory lost in war. French revanchism made the recovery of Alsace-Lorraine a recurring political demand.
Treaty of Frankfurt: The 1871 peace treaty that ended the Franco-Prussian War and imposed territorial cessions on France. It formalized the transfer of Alsace-Lorraine to the German Empire.
Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine Constitution: The 1911 constitution that granted Alsace-Lorraine a legislature and greater autonomy within the German Empire. It shows the limited self-government introduced late in German rule.
Adolphe Thiers: The French statesman who became head of the executive after France’s defeat in 1871 and later president. He negotiated the peace settlement that ceded the region.
Franco-German rivalry: The long-running political and military competition between France and the German states, especially Germany after 1871. The region became a durable symbol and strategic focus of this rivalry.
German Empire: The federal nation-state established in 1871 under the Prussian king as German emperor. It incorporated the ceded territory as an imperial province.
Alsatian dialects: A group of Alemannic German dialects spoken chiefly in Alsace. Their continued use complicated efforts to equate language with political allegiance.

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